What color is #85B5CE?

#85B5CE is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(133, 181, 206), and in HSL hsl(201, 43%, 66%).

Is #85B5CE accessible as text?

On white, #85B5CE has a contrast ratio of 2.21:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.50:1 (passes). For text placed on #85B5CE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #85B5CE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mist-400 (#9CA8AB).

What colors go well with #85B5CE?

#85B5CE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CE9D83. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #85B5CE below.

Is #85B5CE good for buttons?

#85B5CE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #85B5CE — white text only reaches 2.21:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #85B5CE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #85B5CE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#85B5CE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #85B5CE

Not just a swatch — here's how #85B5CE works with other colors. Named schemes with #85B5CE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #85B5CE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Iceberg keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #85B5CE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Iceberg opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #85B5CE Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B29F Ink #2A2723

Iceberg sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #85B5CE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #AFDBF2

Iceberg is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Iceberg.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #85B5CE Secondary #CCDDE6 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Iceberg is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Iceberg carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #85B5CE actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 31/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 67/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 24/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 31/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 24/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 34/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 57/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 84/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #85B5CE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #85B5CE with

Light Blue Cornflower Blue Buff Platinum Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 8.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8EFF3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #839BCE — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #85B5CE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #85B5CE;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 181 206;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(74.8% 0.062 231.3);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E1EDF4;
  --color-200: #C5DBE8;
  --color-300: #9CC0D3;
  --color-400: #75A4BD;
  --color-500: #5586A0;
  --color-600: #46697C;
  --color-700: #364D59;
  --color-800: #26343B;
  --color-900: #192024;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  iceberg: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E1EDF4',
    200: '#C5DBE8',
    300: '#9CC0D3',
    400: '#75A4BD',
    500: '#5586A0',
    600: '#46697C',
    700: '#364D59',
    800: '#26343B',
    900: '#192024',
  },
}

$base: #85B5CE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E1EDF4;
$base-200: #C5DBE8;
$base-300: #9CC0D3;
$base-400: #75A4BD;
$base-500: #5586A0;
$base-600: #46697C;
$base-700: #364D59;
$base-800: #26343B;
$base-900: #192024;
$base-hover: #5396BA;
$base-subtle: #DCE8ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#85B5CE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1EDF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C5DBE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9CC0D3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#75A4BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5586A0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#46697C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#364D59",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26343B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192024",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}